First telescope, which one

[Eric Hahl]

First scope you ask? A 6" or 8" Dobsonian is the answer. You can find them relatively inexpensive on craigslist, etc.

Going this route allows for easy transport to the back yard or observing site. They have no electronics to mess with, no wires, just a simple design for up/down and left/right adjustment by hand. They usually come supplied with 2 to 3 eyepieces for changing magnification. Start with the largest number on the eyepiece, probably 24mm or 28 or 30mm. This gives the widest field of view and allows you to find objects easier. Once you've found an object and want a higher magnification switch to the medium eyepiece, 10-16mm. Want even higher mag, put in the smallest eyepiece. Sometimes (most) you will find the medium and low power eyepieces have the best view.

This setup will give you lots to look at in the sky and let you know if you even want to pursue the hobby further without loosing a bunch of $$$. You can easily sell it for what you paid if you bought it used.

[nota]

eyepieces vary a lot
most cheap zooms suck

microscope ones will work
old busted binock's eyepiece can be used
better ones cost more

star partys are a good way to see what other have/use

[masraum]

Originally Posted by nota

truth is with hubble and web their pictures are so much better why ever try anymore to do your own ?

Come on. I can't believe you believe that. I guess we should all stop driving, because we can always watch videos of Schumacher drive. We should probably stop trying to play sports, make music, etc...

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Alright guys, if you have $200 or less to spend, get a good quality pair of binoculars like 8x42 Vortex, 10x50 Celestron or Nikon, and spend a year learning the sky with these and a good Zero gravity lounge chair for comfortable viewing.

If you really want a telescope to begin exploring the night sky my 1st recommendation is to start with good optics AND a very sturdy mount that can be easily pointed. You just can't get this with any "free" scope so spend your "free" on something else and spend a bit of real cash on a scope that will bring you pleasure rather than frustration.

The 1st recommendation is a classic 6" Dobsonian reflector. Good optics and a very sturdy mount that is easy to point will open up the moon, planets, and bright deep sky objects under dark skies. This is a nice one but there are many others. Sometimes you can find these used for around $250 and that is a great way to get introduced to astronomy:
https://www.astronomics.com/sky-watcher-6-f-8-classic-150p-dobsonian-telescope-s11600.html

My 2nd recommendation is for a small Mak with a solid mount for observing bright objects like moon and planets, and also as a quality terrestrial spotting scope for wildlife, hunting, birding etc. With this one you give up some brightness to gain higher magnification for longer reach. The Nexstar 90SLT has high quality optics that won't disappoint and the mount will find and track objects in the night sky once you have it aligned.
https://www.celestron.com/products/nexstar-90slt-computerized-telescope?_pos=5&_sid=7bdc902ff&_ss=r

Both of these are quality entry level scopes that are easy to use and transport to dark skies. They are WAY better than any "free" scope you can get from air miles and arguably better than the ones Charles Messier used to chart bright diffuse objects in the heavens. Ditch the cheesy finder they come with and spend $40 on any decent red dot reflex sight for ease of pointing the scope.

Why listen to me? I have been a backyard astronomer all of my life. I started with a TERRIBLE Sears 60mm refractor on a frustrating wobbly mount at age 12, graduated to binoculars as I got older, and did astro imaging for 10 years in the 90s with a Celestron C8 and Byers worm drive mount. After learning the sky and photographing it's wonders my interest has shifted to periodic comets and solar eclipses. I currently own a Celestron 90SLT, several nice tripod mounts, and an Astro-Tech AT70ED scope for eclipse and comet photography. Simple quality tools that travel to dark skies and solar eclipse totality easily.

Cheers!

Good call on the binos. You've got to be careful to not over do it. Don't look at the 8x and think 12x or 20x or 25x will be even better.

One of the keys is quality. I get amazing views out of my 8x42 Nikon Monarchs. I recently got some Vortex Viper HD 12x50 for looking at birds around the property which are also excellent.

Very commonly recommended are 7x35, 8x42, or 10x50. The two lower magnification are probably better for being able to see detail if you're holding them by hand.

One point I'd like to make is that you should have an understanding of what you can see in your area (light pollution) with various tools.

A lot of times astronomy clubs have "outreach" nights where a bunch of folks setup scopes in more accessible areas and let the public come look through things. You may want to reach out to a local club so you can see what you'd see before you buy.

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by masraum

...A lot of times astronomy clubs have "outreach" nights where a bunch of folks setup scopes in more accessible areas and let the public come look through things. You may want to reach out to a local club so you can see what you'd see before you buy.

+1 (I know in the OP's case the toys were free anyway so this for others)

Check if you're local to some clubs - we had one where I grew up in Grand Rapids MI that even had a fixed location with far nicer equipment than I was/am ever going to have. Lots of light pollution, too, but you can't win them all.

Lacking that, the above mentioned "dark sky nights" might scratch your itch and are basically free. Also, those people are gear-heads and usually have stuff to sell for a steal.

Frankly, spending the money on a trip to a truly dark sky location (bortle 1 or 2) like Death Valley or central Nebraska, a blanket and some basic 7x50 binos may be far more rewarding than a small scope. Skies like that don't even seem "normal" to me - so many stars that it takes a few moments to get your bearings, and I live in the NM mountains where you can easily see the milky way while driving down the highway.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Frankly, spending the money on a trip to a truly dark sky location (bortle 1 or 2) like Death Valley or central Nebraska, a blanket and some basic 7x50 binos may be far more rewarding than a small scope. Skies like that don't even seem "normal" to me - so many stars that it takes a few moments to get your bearings, and I live in the NM mountains where you can easily see the milky way while driving down the highway.

The first time I was under a truly dark sky I had trouble finding Polaris amongst all of the others that I'd never seen before.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

The first time I was under a truly dark sky I had trouble finding Polaris amongst all of the others that I'd never seen before.

Absolutely. I'm under "pretty dark" skies (Bortle 4) and at times finding specific stuff is difficult. I can't imagine what REALLY dark skies are like.

[flatbutt]

Well, I do remember being absolutely stunned at seeing my shadow by starlight. This was back in '70 when I was in Texas. I wasn't into astronomy much back then, so it really blew my mind.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Well, I do remember being absolutely stunned at seeing my shadow by starlight. This was back in '70 when I was in Texas. I wasn't into astronomy much back then, so it really blew my mind.

Wow!